Uzumaki Chronicles: Turtle Hunting
by Rurouni Tyriel
Summary: A young boy has been found in the Ocean Country with unusual features and a hidden power. Is it one of the vessels of a tailed demon? Konoha has sent a team to find out, and bring the boy in.
1. New Mission

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Naruto, they belong to Kishimoto. I wish I owned Naruto though, or at least had permission to write for the filler arcs. Then I could get this story animated.

**Summary:**

A young boy has been found in the Ocean Country with unusual features and a hidden power. Is it one of the vessels of a tailed-demon? Konoha has sent a team to find out, and bring the boy in. But with the threat of Akatsuki ever-present, and other dangers, can a small team of Genin succeed against the odds? Takes place sometime after the Sea Monster Filler Arc (and thus anytime during the other Fillers) and before the Timeskip. Rated PG-13 for action violence and some light cursing.

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Fifth Hokage Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the most gifted Medical-Nin in all of Konoha, if not all of the World... was bored.

Idly running a hand through her blonde hair and giving an exaggerated sigh, she flipped through the latest stack of reports that had just arrived. There was never any end to them, really, reports and missions had piled up high since she'd started the job, and with her working part-time at the hospital as well, she was a busy, busy, busy woman.

And all she really wanted to do was enjoy some sake and a nice hot soak in the springs.

Another sigh, and she finished up her last paper, tossing aside a report from the Jounin spy they'd set up in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Nothing really to report, the usual machinations of the political leaders, the backstabbing of the fellow ninjas. Cloud seemed to be largely content to keep to itself these days, and Konoha was content to leave them to themselves.

She reached down and picked up the next report, quirking an eyebrow at the name written boldly across the top. Jiraiya. That was a touch unusual. She hadn't heard from her perverted teammate in many weeks now, not since he'd left to study Akatsuki. Perhaps he'd found out something. With an unusual show of vigor she flipped open the papers and began to read. As her warm brown eyes roamed over the page, a scowl began to develop, a crease in her forehead and a frown on her full lips. It grew darker as she read on.

Sometime later, the door to her office opened, and Shizune stepped in, noticing immediately that her superior (to say nothing of friend and teacher) was awake and alert, as well as intently focused on the report in her hands. This meant bad news, and she was immediately ready to carry out orders.

"Tsunade-sama?"

The Fifth Hokage nodded in acknowledgment of her presence, then deftly flipped the package of papers up and into the air. Shizune caught them easily, then turned them over.

"A report from Jiraiya-sama?" she asked.

"Read it," replied Tsunade, steepling her fingers, already deep in thought about her next move. Curious now, Shizune did just as she asked, and began to read the report, noting that Jiraiya's handwriting, normally crisp and bold, was jagged as if written in terrible haste, and many unreadable words had been quickly crossed out and fixed in his haste.

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"_Hokage,_

_During my recent trip to the Tea Country, I found myself in a back-alley brothel (_scratched out_) I mean respectful inn gathering information for my mission. Nothing could be found on Akatsuki in the local area. I did find (_scratched out_)... nevermind. Afterwards, however, I found a boy in the streets marked with unusual features. I've included a full description and a picture I managed to sketch roughly at the end of this document. I think he might be one of those children. The ones like Naruto._

_I lost sight of the boy, but he struck me as a local to the village, or at least someone who lived nearby. An orphan or a beggar. I have to move on, Akatsuki is on the move heading west towards the Wind Country, and I have to follow them before the boats leave, but I thought perhaps you could send someone to find the boy and confirm what I found. Plus, if he is one of them, I don't want Akatsuki to be made aware of it if they haven't noticed the boy._

_Love as always,_

_Your Gallant Jiraiya_."

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Shizune flipped over the parchment, and got a rough sketch of the boy. No more than eight or nine years old, as far as she could tell (the Legendary Jiraiya, for all his talents as a ninja, never was a very good artist) and it was written down his hair was blue and his eyes were green. Not exactly common features in the ninja world. And it said he had reptilian pupils. The rest of his features were sketchy, as were his clothes.

The loud slam jostled Shizune up from the rest of the report, including date and time and other such irrelevant data (Jiraiya was racking up a huge expense for his 'information gathering' and was quite glad to use Konoha's money to do so, since it was technically a mission on behalf of the village) and turned to see her mentor rummaging through a very big, very old book. It's pages were yellowed with age, and Tsunade, despite her haste, was handling them with delicacy so as not to break them.

"Here it is... Sanbi."

"The Three-Tails?" asked Shizune, eyes wide in amazement.

Tsunade nodded, tapping her finger against the page in question, which had a rather vivid image of the creature in a question. A three-tailed turtle of monstrous size and great power, laying waste to fishing routes and chaos general destructions in the waters and sometimes further inland. It had three tails that lashed out behind it, it's head was partly protected by it's shell, surrounded by sharp spikes not found on the smaller, more normal species of turtle found in the world. And the coloration depicted in the picture in question was that of a shiny cerulean.

"Coloration matches... found in the Ocean Country... and he's about the right age... that idiot might've actually found something this time," stated Tsunade thoughtfully.

"What is our move then, Hokage-sama?" asked Shizune, as always more respectful when her mentor was acting most professionally.

Gently pushing aside the book for later study, Tsunade reached down to her desk and pulled open a drawer (making sure that her assistant couldn't see the bottles of sake hidden towards the back) and pulled out a set of what looked like ordinary playing cards. However, each card wasn't marked with numbers and symbols, but by pictures of Konoha's Genin. It was easier to arrange them about and know who was on what mission.

To her dismay, she only had a few to work with. And one of them was grinning up at her from the cards.

_Ah well, perhaps it was fate_, she mused, as she barked out for Shizune to gather those on the cards she lay down on the desk before her.

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All things considered, Naruto had been the easiest one to track down, simply because of the time of day.

Every lunchtime, Uzumaki Naruto could always be found in exactly one place in all of Konoha, and that was the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. By the time Shizune arrived, a healthy stack of bowls was already in place beside the blonde-haired, hyperactive ninja, and he was happily digging into a fresh one with gusto. She shook her head in mild disbelief. The boy sure did love his food.

"Naruto?"

"Mmfg...?" he started, then swallowed his noodles noisily. "Shizune-san! What brings you here? Time for your lunch?"

She smiled at that. "No actually we have a mission for you. You're to report to the Hokage's office immediately."

"Oh... okay then!" he said, placing his chopsticks down and sliding his bowl back across the bar to indicate he was done. He reached down to his side, fish for his frog wallet. Shizune waved him off, saying she would handle the expenses so Naruto could get on the move. Although, as he sped off and the owners of the Ramen Stand watched with hungry expressions, she couldn't help but wonder how much it cost Naruto to eat so much every day.

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By the time Naruto arrived, Kurenai's team was already in place inside of the Hokage's office. Kurenai herself and Shino stood ramrod straight and at attention, waiting for orders. Hinata stood a respectful distance behind them and with white eyes downcast, content to be ignored until she was needed. Her gaze lifted, however, as she caught sight of her favorite blonde idiot charging into the room as loudly as possible, proclaiming his presence in no uncertain terms.

"Tsunade-baachan! I'm here!"

"I noticed," replied the elder kunoichi, rubbing her temples. Honestly, sometimes she wondered why someone else couldn't have the job of dealing with hyperactive idiots. "And as -you- surely noticed, you have a mission... you'll be accompanying Kurenai's team."

Naruto smiled, he always enjoyed hanging out with Team Eight. Of the Rookie Nine, he liked them the most, partly because of Kiba's presence amongst them. Fellow active misfits and all such. Then, of course, he noticed something.

"Hey where's Kiba?" he asked.

"Away on a mission with his sister Hana," replied Shino tonelessly, having fully anticipated the question. He even managed to beat Kurenai to it.

"Oh... so it's just us then, right?" replied Naruto, now a smidgen disappointed. If Kiba was one of his favorites of the Rookie Nina, Shino was definitely at the bottom of that list. Hinata was nice though.

"Y-yes," replied Hinata, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

Tsunade slammed her hand down on the desk to get the attention of the Genin back on her. Honestly... kids!

"This is a B-rank mission," she stated in a clear tone of voice. "We don't know what kind of enemies to expect, how strong they are, or where they might come from, so I expect you all to keep your wits about you. Understood!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Sure thing!"

"You mission is to travel to the Tea Country to the south, and make your way to the port city on the edge of the peninsula. Naruto is familiar with the territory, but just in case he gets you all lost Kurenai has a map of the area."

Naruto gaped, a vein bulging on his forehead, and bit back an angry retort about his never getting lost. Just his luck Kiba wasn't here, he'd never hear the end of it.

"In the village there's a boy... we have a rough sketch here..." she said, holding up Jiraiya's picture for them all to study. "Find him, and bring him back to Konoha as quickly as you are able. Gently, if possible... but by any means necessary if the boy is reluctant."

"What's so special about this boy?" asked Naruto. "Is he a noble?" he asked with just a little dread. He hated dealing with nobles and noble children. They were always such spoiled people, so selfish and vain.

"Let's just say he's a special kind of child, and leave it at that," replied Tsunade carefully, her eyes darting briefly over to Kurenai, who nodded. None of the Genin noticed this interplay between the older shinobi.

"Get him back here alive is your top priority."

"You got it! We'll bring him back or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto!" shouted Naruto, throwing his fist into the air. "Believe it!"

Tsunade groaned, rolling her eyes, but Kurenai smiled in a warm sort of way. She loved children a lot, especially those with such fire in their spirits. One reason she'd so thoroughly enjoyed her teaching of Team Eight.

She swept out her hand. "Gather at the South Gates in half an hour," she said. "I'll see you all there."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei."

"YEAH!"

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After the Genin had left, of course, was when Kurenai slipped back in unseen. The Hokage had requested her ear for some information alone, and she did not take that lightly. It had to pertain to their mission, after all.

Tsunade explained to her the situation as she, Jiraiya, and Shizune knew it. And now Kurenai. They four alone knew the possibility of finding the Three-Tails on this mission, which would've normally knocked the importance of their trip to A-rank, if not S-rank. But they needed to keep the kids in the dark for the time being. Particularly if what they surmised was right.

"Your team was chosen to get in and get out quickly," said Tsunade, fingers steepled, voice low. "Shino and Hinata can see trouble coming a mile off... and you are one of the very best Genjutsu specialists here in the village. You can slip past trouble, rather than confront it. Kiba would've also been ideal but we don't have the time to wait for him."

"I understand that much," replied Kurenai, having already worked it out in her head. "But, if I may ask... why are you sending Naruto along?"

"Because if this boy -is- what we suspect he is, he may be difficult to bring back to Konoha... especially if he resists. He may be too strong for you team. But Naruto can talk to him... identify with him... on a deeper level than that."

Kurenai whistled in appreciation. "Clever."

"Good luck, Kurenai," said Tsunade with a smile.

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**Author's Notes:**

Please wait until the story is done before critiquing it's place in Naruto continuity. I am aware of current Manga events (though I never read the manga, just summaries) and have taken them into account.


	2. Finding the Quarry

Twenty minutes later, one young lady, one girl, and two boys departed from Konoha, traveling at a light jog amongst the tree branches as they headed south towards the Tea/Fire Country border. With good weather and light rests, they'd reach the port town in question in about two days. Three at the latest.

Midway through the journey, Naruto couldn't help but notice an uncomfortable silence having descended upon the other members of the team, and dropped back a bit to jump branches alongside Hinata. Kurenai he didn't know very well yet, and Shino still creeped him out, so he felt most comfortable around the Hyuuga heiress. And she didn't seem to mind his company in the least.

"Oiy, Hinata...?"

"Y-yes?"

"What do you think is so 'special' about this kid we're going to find?" he wondered aloud.

"Uh... uhmm..."

"Tsunade-baachan sure was evasive when I asked that question... you don't think it's a noble, do you? The son of a noble?"

"M-maybe," she replied quietly, unsure. That didn't sound quite right.

"Or maybe it's the heir to a ninja clan or something... or the son of a famous warrior..." surmised Naruto aloud, allowing his imagination to run wild. And if there was anything he was infamous for, it was a wild imagination. He had regular dreams where he was made the Hokage, after all.

"There is a possibility the boy has a bloodline technique," remarked a quieter voice. But it cut into the conversation so smoothly that Naruto nearly jumped clean out of his orange jumpsuit. And he did stumble after the next jump, having to grab the next tree branch with his arm and flips himself upright, and then catch up to where Hinata and Shino were. It was the bug specialist who had startled him.

"Don't scare me like that, Shino!" he yelled angrily.

"Keep your wits about you," retorted Shino quietly, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. His response didn't seem all that mean either, just a proper comment on keeping alert. Naruto growled, but could not find a proper reply, for Shino was absolutely right. He should've been aware of his surroundings, like a proper shinobi.

"Kurenai says you two are falling behind," remarked Shino. "We are to pick up the pace," he added, before turning and pushing off from another branch, rocketing ahead. Naruto growled, and gave pursuit, and Hinata was close behind him.

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Two weary days of travel later, the team arrived in the city on the edge of the Tea Country. Standing on a hillside, they could see out into the wide blue ocean and the bustling town below them, where most ships made dock heading to and from the Sea Country to the south. It was a very beautiful view. Few from the Hidden Village of Konoha got the chance to see the ocean on a regular basis.

Naruto arrived with energy to spare, of course, and he was largely immune to the view, since he'd traveled to the far off countries of Wave and Sea before, and the ocean was nothing new to him. Shino was his usual stoic self, quiet, calm, and completely unreadable. Kurenai was cut from a similar mold, though a faint smile on her lips indicated she was happy enough that they'd reached their destination. And Hinata, though worn out from the long trip, was overjoyed at her first chance to see the beach.

_It was so... romantic..._ she thought.

But then she stubbornly pushed that thought aside. They had a mission to do here.

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"... and so we found out the sea monster wasn't really a monster at all," said Naruto, gesturing emphatically to his makeshift audience. Shino and Kurenai focused entirely on their meals, paying only cursory attention, but Hinata was entranced by the tale of Naruto's last trip to the Sea Country.

The four of them had found a quiet inn to rest their feet and get some dinner. Kurenai chewed quietly on some salty octopus and sipped at her rice wine, her mind elsewhere, busy with the mission. Shino had claimed he wasn't hungry, though he was indulging in some tea. Hinata and Naruto had, predictably, ordered the same thing. Or rather, Naruto had loudly proclaimed he wanted their best pork ramen, and Hinata had timidly requested the same thing.

It wasn't Ichiraku ramen, but it was ramen none-the-less.

"It was just a girl who... well... had her destiny sort of forced onto her by other people," he finished, not really sure how to explain it. "She thought she was a monster, but she wasn't..."

"And you brought her back to Konoha when the mission was over, right?" asked Hinata. She'd heard this story before, of course, but she never failed to appreciate the way Naruto breathed life into his stories.

"That is correct," interrupted Shino politely, placing his chopsticks down over his empty bowl. "Isaribi is still under the care of the Hokage at present. So far she has been unable to determine how to reverse the effects of Orochimaru's tampering."

A hush fell over the table at the mention of that name. All in Konoha knew it, and by now most of them had a fair idea of just what sorts of evil were attached to that name. Genetic experiments. Unholy jutsus. Death and worse than death.

"Well, even if she can't... can't change back," Hinata spoke up softly. "At... at least she knows she isn't a monster anymore... right?"

"Right!" replied Naruto with a cheerful grin on his face. "That's totally right, Hinata!"

Hinata's face turned beet-red and she lowered her gaze to the table.

"Hinata? Are you coming down with something? Your face is all red."

Shino rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, and Kurenai had the good nature to hide her smirk behind her hand politely.

Before they knew it, it was time for bed, and the four ninjas were climbing up the stairs with still weary legs and full bellies. Tomorrow, they'd start their search in earnest for the strange boy they'd been sent to find. Their room arrangements was simple and cheap, a large one-room. Since they'd all brought their own sleeping bags for their camping midway through the trip, they'd have their own beds. But it was nice having a roof over their heads.

Kurenai lay flat on one end of the room, with the Genin lined up along her side and under her, like cubs lying near a sleeping lioness. As one, they all drifted off to sleep.

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Morning for most shinobi came long before the sun arose. By the time they began their career as Genin, most had learned to spring up from sleep instantly, since their Jounin teachers could come for them at any time for any sort of mission. It was rumored some had forgone sleep altogether so they could be perpetually awake for missions. While Naruto scoffed at such notions (being a heavy sleeper himself) he -was- forced to admit he'd never been completely positive if Shino was ever asleep or just lying down.

However, today was a bit more relaxed, and Kurenai allowed her students a chance to sleep in a little as she made early morning preparations, including rummaging through some of the scrolls hidden in her pack, discreetly slipping them into hidden pockets on her robes. They were designed to capture and contain demonic chakra, taken directly from the First Hokage's Scroll of Forbidden Seals.

After the three Genin in her care had awoken and taken care of basic morning necessities like washing and getting dressed, Kurenai outlined their plan of attack for the day.

"Our first priority is to find this boy," she explained to them, holding up the rough sketch that they had. The features were rough but they did their best to memorize him. With such unusual coloration, he'd be easy to spot, or so they hoped. "Emphasis on find," she repeated. "Do not approach until the whole team is together, we do not want to scare him off.

"Shino, I want you to spread out your bugs as wide a radius as possible. Scout the western edge of town, especially along the three gates and into the forest, the boy may be living out there."

Shino nodded.

"Naruto, I'd like you to disperse your _Kage Bunshin_ throughout the city proper and explore, but quietly and discreetly," she added, stressing the last two words for Naruto's benefit. Unusually attentive, the blonde Genin saluted her and nodded.

"Hinata... I need you to handle the eastern edge of the city, near the docks. It's a lot more cluttered in that region, lots of places people can hide. That's where we'll need your Byakugan the most."

"I u-understand," she replied.

"Good... if you find something I want you to report back to me immediately. I will be in the very center of the town. We passed through it yesterday, so be certain to come find me the instant you discover anything," she said. She did not add she would also be keeping an eye out for such things as black coats and red clouds. She would, however, and if they were anywhere in the city she'd do her best to sense their chakra before they struck.

"Move out!" she called, throwing open the sliding window to their second-story room. As one, Naruto, Hinata, and Shino sprang into action and leapt gracefully out of the room and onto rooftops, speeding towards their respective destinations.

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Surprisingly, it was Hinata who first found their objective.

The young kunoichi had been approaching her mission with dead seriousness for the first few hours, Byakugan activated, scanning amongst the docks and the ships found there, and then later patrolling up along the rocky beach that was the edge of the Tea country, but finding nothing. Several orphans, though not enough to make her think the village was suffering through turbulent times, but none of whom suited the description she had. They were too lean, too tall, too blonde, or too small.

So she'd allowed herself a chance to relax just a little, content one of the others would find the boy (if they hadn't already) and would be coming for her soon. But in the meantime, this was one of her very first trips to the ocean, and she was in awe of it's beauty. She'd seen lakes and rivers and such, but to see so much water waving in the breeze, the air salty but sweet... it was amazing.

It was beautiful.

That really was a perk to being a ninja, she'd discovered (to say nothing of being a step closer to her favorite person in the whole wide world). She got a chance to -see- the whole wide world. And really appreciate the sort of beauty that could flourish anywhere.

So it was naturally, quite by accident, she'd simply stumbled across the boy in question.

A soft 'plunk' caught her attention and she tilted her head to find the source of it, surprised to see it was a young boy sitting on the edge of the beach with his arms wrapped around his legs and a forlorn expression on his face. To her shock, his features were instantly recognizable... dark blue hair, green reptilian eyes, no more than eight or nine years old... it was him!

Instantly, she leapt out of view behind a nearby rock cropping. Long years of avoiding the limelight had given her a knack for quickly disappearing when people weren't looking for her.

She lifted up her hand, two fingers raised. "_Byakugan_," she whispered, activating her bloodline limit.

As her vision cleared and magnified to untold levels, she allowed her gaze to slip past and -through- the rocks to study the boy. As she watched, he picked up a small, rounded pebble from the beach and tossed it half-heartedly, letting it skip on the water a few times before sinking with a 'plunk' sound. He repeated this a few more times, then simply sat there, staring out at the horizon and across the expanse of sparkling blue ocean. But his view must have been dull, for his expression didn't change. It only grow sadder.

And for an instant, Hinata felt she was going to cry. She'd seen someone exactly like this before.

A boy all alone, desperate to be loved, ignored and forgotten, seeking mundane activities to keep entertained far away from everyone who hated him. A boy sitting on the swing outside of the Ninja Academy, just swinging back and forth with no one to push him and no parent to come and pick him up when class was over.

For a moment, the vision was unsettling sharp, and Hinata shook her head to dispel it, replacing the blonde-haired boy with the dark-haired one before her. The mission. She had to focus on the mission.

But it was no longer just a mission for her. If this boy was the one they'd come for (and she'd bet her entire mission salary it was) then this wasn't just business anymore.

She would see to it the boy was helped. One way or another.

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**Author's Notes:**

I got nothing.


	3. Ninja Negotiations

At this point, the young Hyuuga Heiress wasn't quite sure what to do. If she slipped away to find Kurenai or the others, the boy might wander off, and she'd be hard pressed to find him again. But if she just stayed here, they wouldn't know what had become of her. She wished the team had been issued the standard radio units for such missions, but they'd been glossed over and forgotten when the trip had begun.

So she had a neat little dilemma on her hands. And she hated dilemmas. She was a bright girl, she'd gotten good grades at the Academy, but she'd always preferred a straightforward path. Even if it was a rocky one.

Fortunately, her problem was solved for her.

"HINATA! Hey Hinata!"

By creating a new problem to deal with.

Hinata's eyes snapped wide open as she whirled around to see a bright orange-clad boy coming running towards her across the beach, waving and yelling. Ordinarily, she'd been overjoyed to see Naruto coming to find her, but right now was -not- the best of times.

Quickly she waved her arms at him, trying non-verbally to quiet him before he spooked their objective.

"Hey Hinata we've been looking all over for you... Kurenai said to... what? What is it?" he asked, unable to comprehend her motions properly. "Hey who's that?"

The boy, having heard Naruto coming like a bull in a china shop a mile off, had slipped to his feet. Upon spotting him, and then even getting a glimpse of Hinata behind her hiding spot, he automatically assumed the worst, and took off like a shot.

"That's him! After him!" shouted Naruto, giving chase. Hinata quickly de-activated her bloodline limit (not wanting to waste chakra) and gave pursuit after them both.

The boy was a fairly quick runner, all things considered. However, both Naruto and Hinata were trained to overtake quarry and bring them down peaceably as part of their Academy training. Ordinarily, they would have caught the boy before he made it more than ten yards down the beach. However, the boy seemed to realize this quickly, and changed tactics to something neither of them had fully expected.

He turned at a sharp angle and ran directly towards the ocean. At first, the Genin thought maybe he was trying to swim away, but he'd never make it far with short legs, the water resistance would slow him down enough for them to catch him. But he did plan to swim.

He ran... on top of the water.

"WHAT!" yelled Naruto, so stunned he skidded to a halt on the sandy beach. "How the heck can he do water walking! He's not old enough to have learned that!"

Quickly, both Hinata and Naruto recovered from the shock and gave chase. Wherever the boy had learned the trick, they knew it backwards and forwards from their training, and they streaked off across the water as if it was simply a rolling hill of grass. In moments they'd overtaken their quarry and cut him off against some outcropping black rocks, Hinata to one side, Naruto on the other.

"Now don't run anymore, you brat!" yelled Naruto, his finger up and pointed so his audience had no mistake who he was talking to. "We're not trying to hurt you!"

"Yeah right!" shouted the boy, fists upraised, ready to defend himself. His stance was horrible though, he was clearly using most of his chakra just to keep himself from sinking into the water. And he didn't look like he knew any taijutsu beyond basic kicks and punches.

He seemed at once gifted and incompetent. How was that possible?

"Don't make me knock you out kid!" yelled Naruto back, raising up his own fist.

"Naruto-kun!" shouted Hinata, hoping to diffuse the situation. "Shouldn't we try something else?"

"Oh... yeah..." he said, shamefully lowering his fist.

The boy's reptilian eyes glanced from one to the other quick as can be, careful not to leave either out of his sight for too long. He was still very tense.

"We're not going to hurt you," said Hinata gently. "We just want to help."

"Liar!"

"Hey brat! Don't call Hinata a liar!"

"We just want to help you. We're from Konoha."

"Hidden Leaf? Nobody from Hidden Leaf helps anybody, they're all crazy killers and idiots!" scoffed the boy.

Naruto was having just about enough of this, and with deliberate strides, he made his way forward to give the boy a good knock on the skull to teach him some respect. Not too hard, of course, just enough to hurt the boy and show him they meant business, not injure him.

"Your viewpoint is slightly biased," a voice cut smoothly into the tension. Instantly all eyes were on the outcropping rock, and the figures who stood atop of it.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses, while Kurenai kneeled down so her shadow was no longer stretched down over the boy. "We are not here to hurt you," she said simply.

The boy glanced left and right and all around, but realized he was thoroughly surrounded on all angles. "... this isn't some trick?" he asked hesitantly, but he sensed somehow they were speaking truthfully enough. If they -had- wanted him dead, they had him surrounded and highly outmatched.

"You are misinformed concerning Hidden Leaf," remarked Shino casually, hands in the pockets of his coat. His stance was deceptive... his teammates had seen him strike lightning fast from that seemingly relaxed pose.

"That's what I heard back home," the boy replied defensively.

"And where're you from?" asked Kurenai gently.

"... up north," the boy said after a moment's thought. "You're really not with them, are you?"

"Them?" asked Naruto, relaxing a little.

"Those hunters... guys in black. They've been coming after me ever since I... since I..."

"... yes?"

"Since I ran away," the boy said, his voice cracking a little at the last word.

An Academy Dropout. That fits, thought Kurenai. A boy who ran away from home because he couldn't stand living there. And if he was indeed from up north... that meant the Water Country. Fits in with the Sanbi quite nicely. Hidden Mist and the Water Country in general did share their viewpoint of Konoha being a village of weaklings and backstabbers.

"I just wanna be left alone!" shouted the boy, suddenly very angry. The water stirred around his feet, and Kurenai stood, slipping a hand behind her back to grab at one of the scrolls hidden there. Naruto and Shino tensed for a fight.

But it was Hinata who instead asked simply "What's your name?"

Surprised by the odd question, the boy almost didn't know how to respond properly. But, reluctantly, he allowed himself to reply. No harm in answering something like that, after all.

"Aoimaru," he stated. Then, more boldly, "I'm Aoimaru."

The waters calmed and smoothed out in quiet little ripples.

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A childhood of distrust, resentment, hatred, and fear. An Academy student at once gifted with some techniques and horrible at others. Teased and ridiculed by his peers and given many the cold eye and shoulder from his classmates and teachers alike. When his strange powers had first manifested, he'd been scared out of his wits. After all, even little kids in Hidden Mist knew all about the Bloodline Wars that had been fought a generation before, how those with special powers had been singled out and executed, rounded up and killed, or died in vainglorious attempts to overthrow Hidden Mist.

So he'd run. Run as far and as fast as he could. Stowed away on a ship heading south and then hidden himself out down here in the Tea Country where no one would find him, or so he hoped. He didn't have very grand ambitions. Just wanted to be left in peace.

Unfortunately, there was more to his story.

"About a month ago, I saw a ship come in... I watch ships come and go sometimes," he added. "When I'm bored. So anyways I saw these figures in black on it, and I got this really ominous feeling."

Kurenai got a rather ominous feeling too. Figures in black brought back very bad memories to her. Images of herself on the wrong end of her own genjutsu. She managed to barely suppress a shudder.

"And they started searching soon as they hit land. Tearing up crates and just looking everywhere, questioning people. I didn't get a good look at them, I didn't want them to see me. I saw them leave after a few days, but last week they were back, and there were more of them. I... I think they're after -me-."

He shivered. It was late by now, mid-afternoon, and the sun was already vanishing against the treeline to the west. They'd walked back to the shore to properly talk, and get the whole story.

"Don't worry," said Kurenai, resting a hand gently on the boy's shoulder. "That's what we're here for."

"Our mission is to protect you," stated Shino quietly.

"Now that's -if- you want to come with us," stated Kurenai. Seeing Naruto's mouth open, about to protest, she shot him a glare with crimson eyes, and he snapped it shut. "We won't force you to come with us if you don't want to."

"And... I'll be safe, in Konoha?" asked Aoimaru. "You won't hurt me or... h-hate me?"

Kurenai opened her mouth to reply negative, but surprisingly, Naruto beat her to it. Among his amazing talents was his quickness for making friends, and Aoimaru's story about abandonment and hatred had moved him. No doubt because he'd lived a similar life. "No... we won't. And if anybody gives you any trouble kid, I'll give 'em a shot in the mouth!" he said, with an emphatic punch in the air for emphasis.

Aoimaru smiled, then turned to Kurenai and nodded. "I'll come."

Not exactly her plan A... but it worked.

--

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--

They returned to the inn and shared a hearty meal, then spent the entire afternoon napping (at least, Hinata and Shino did, Naruto was too anxious) and we ready to depart by night, hoping to use nightfall to slip past those who were hunting Aoimaru.

Three Genin, one Jounin, and one Academy Dropout found themselves gathered by the northern most exit to the fishing village. Here, in the shadows of a wide-branched tree, they began to make their plans.

"We'll stay close together," she explained, using a kunai to draw in the dirt. "Our objective is to keep Aoimaru safe at all costs, so I want Hinata watching the rear. Naruto, Shino, take either side. I'll be point. As soon as we move out, I don't want to hear so much as a peep out of any of you. No noises. Hand-signals only. Aoimaru," she said, her harsh tone relaxing just a fraction. "Just try and keep up with us."

He nodded, well aware of the grim nature of the situation.

"Anyone gets separated, don't try and find the others. Shino's bugs will seek you out and lead us to you. Or, if it's you, Shino, you can find your way back to us with them," she stated. She did not need to mention that Shino had, by her instruction, slipped a female of the destruction bugs on each of their forehead protectors (as well as the back of Aoimaru's shirt). They might've been creeped out. Kurenai was indifferent.

"We don't know who's after us, how many they are, or how strong they are," she added. "So our objective is this... a straight line home. Quick as we can. We avoid fights if we can. We run if we can. If we have no other option we stop and fight. Understood?"

Nods from all around.

"Good," she said, flipping her kunai deftly between her fingers then slipping it back into the holster at her side. "Let's go."

--

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--

**Author's Notes:**

Aoimaru roughly translates as Blue-Circle, or possibly Blue-Round, and seemed a fitting enough name for the character.


	4. Clash in the Dark, part I

Speed was of the essence, and stealth was close behind it. Fortunately, most shinobi were capable of both, due to extensive training in the Academy and, after that, a very strong need during missions. Ninja who couldn't keep out of sight and unheard tended to die fairly quickly.

Of course, they happened to have one of the biggest exceptions to that rule in their team now.

"... you're gonna love it, kid! Best ramen in... in the whole world!" he said, though he was kind enough to keep his voice to a low-whisper.

Aoimaru nodded, though this might've been because his head was starting to grow heavy for him to carry, just like the rest of him. As expected, he knew how to tree-hop, as most Academy Students were quickly taught such. But he was still only ten years old and very tired. Plus, he seemed less comfortable running on land (or up in the trees) than he did on water.

_Not surprising_, mused Kurenai, _considering what he is_.

A light gasp came from the rear of the group, where Hinata was, and Kurenai dropped into a crouch on the next tree branch, instantly alert. Hyuuga's were rarely surprised. She raised her hand, signaling a stop, and the others quickly gathered around her.

"Five of them," she said, her _Byakugan_ activated, her gaze intense. "No, six," she amended. "Spread out behind us... moving fast. They'll overtake us in under an hour," she said, after a rough calculation.

"Should we set up an ambush?" asked Shino, suggesting Team Eight's common strategy with such a situation. "Or continue to run?" They had specific mission instructions, after all, and maybe they could shake their pursuers.

Kurenai bit her lip, frowning, deep in thought as she glanced about. If Kiba had been here, they'd've just flat out run, relying on their eyes and ears to keep them away from pursuers. But they didn't, and Aoimaru looked dead on his feet. And Naruto...

Then she hit on an idea.

"Here's the plan," she said. No time to second-guess now, just hope that Naruto was up to the task. She knew Shino and Hinata would be. Her faith in her team was unshakable.

Aoimaru, however, might be a problem.

--

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--

The sun was just starting to rise on the horizon when they were finally overtaken. Hinata was keeping her eyes open the whole while, and just moments before their pursuers arrived as one the shinobi team dropped down onto the ground into a small clearing and turned to wait. Arms lay at their sides or crossed in front of their chests, no weapons were drawn, and their stance, while tense, was defensive only. Aoimaru stood close by Kurenai, practically standing in her shadow for protection.

It didn't take long.

In Konoha, fog was an infrequent occurrence, but this was far from common, ordinary fog that rose up. This was a thick white mist that obscured vision and made it difficult to see more than ten feet in front of you. And in moments, the Konoha shinobi were surrounded by the thick stuff.

Naruto felt a chill run up and down his spine. Last time he'd seen mist this thick was during his very first mission to the Wave Country, where he'd run up against an unexpected and surprisingly deadly opponent.

He maintained an outer cool, however, though his hands clenched into fists as he prepared himself.

"Come on out," said Kurenai calmly, crimson gaze glancing left and then right. "We know you're there."

As if that was a cue, shadows suddenly shifted through the mist, breaking away. They moved quickly, none of them could keep up with them properly until they emerged from the mist into the clearing. Six of them in a circle around the Konoha shinobi. All uniformly dressed in dark gray flak jackets, nearly black in the dim light, and each one of them wore a pale white mask over their faces, obscuring their features from sight. Several were armed with an assortment of weapons. A chain-flail, a pair of wicked looking axes, a serrated sword. The others were unarmed but still looked deadly.

Kurenai was mildly surprised. _These weren't Akatsuki_, she realized with a start. _They were Hidden Mist Hunter-nin._

Fortunately, that was alright, her plan was still foolproof.

One of them, an unarmed man who was a head shorter than his compatriots but a lot more muscular, stepped forward. He appeared to be the leader of this squadron.

"Surrender," he stated in no uncertain terms, his voice echoing hollow from behind his pale mask.

"If we do, what guarantees do we have that we'll be allowed to leave alive?" asked Kurenai lightly.

"We are just after the boy," he replied, pointing out Aoimaru, who shrank back fearfully behind Kurenai. "Give him to us, and you may leave. That offer is good for the next five minutes only," he added, taking a step back into the circle of death that surrounded them. As one, the Hunter-nin tensed, ready to attack the instant the order was given.

However, there was no need. "Deal," replied Kurenai, without any hesitation. Then, without warning, her arm snapped out and she lightly slammed the edge of her palm against Aoimaru's neck, rendering him unconscious. He fell forward as she caught him by the scruff of his shirt.

To say that Shino, Hinata, and Naruto were surprised was a bit of an understatement.

"Hey! What're you...?" Naruto started. A crimson glare cut him off.

"This boy isn't who we thought he was," she replied, her voice low and deadly. "We are not going to risk our lives for a stranger. If giving him up means my team and you make it back to Konoha alive, then I will gladly do it," she stated.

"Very wise," observed the Hunter-nin leader.

"Come and get him then," stated Kurenai. "He's yours, and we'll go our own way." She held Aoimaru up lightly by his shirt, offering him to the Hidden Mist Hunter-nin. Their leader and one of his subordinates, Chain-Flail, began to make their way forward to collect.

That, however, was when they sprung their own trap.

Although the Konoha Genin had tried to keep an eye on as many of their targets as possible, they had overlooked the possibility of more shinobi hidden in the mists. They assumed all six of their enemies stood around them in an impressive circle. Not so.

A seventh was hiding up in the trees directly behind them, and had palmed a number of sharp needles, tipped with poison. He drew back his hand, silent as a shadow, and hurled the needles with pinpoint accuracy. Tenten could not have made a better shot. One needle struck Kurenai directly in the back of the neck, the other hit Aoimaru below his knee, where his shorts ended.

The Hunter smirked behind his mask. The Genin would be easy to take care now that...

Poof. Just like that, Aoimaru and Kurenai vanished in twin puffs of smoke.

"WHAT!"

"Sucker!"

As the Hunter watched in a mixture of shock and horror, the blonde Genin thrust his hand out behind him, palm up. And the other boy in the sunglasses and the white-eyed girl ran up behind him, filling their own hands with pulsating blue chakra, which they fed into his hand. It swirled into a whirling ball of chakra. As the ball of energy reached fruition, the second boy and girl were engulfed in a cloud of smoke, and when it cleared, they looked exactly like the blonde.

_Henge no Jutsu_ -and- _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_! They'd set up the trap, but the Konoha twerps had used it to set a trap for them!

Still totally stunned, the Hunter-nin was barely able to throw up his arms in time to block the blonde Genin's attack. And that was as useful as holding up a piece of paper to block a tidal wave. Naruto's _Rasengan_ crashed full-force into him and sent the Hunter spinning away off into the distance, where he crashed into a tree with enough force to tear clear through it and past it, skidding along the ground and out of sight in the mist. No way he would be getting up anytime soon.

That was when the real Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai made their move.

--

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--

The seventh shinobi quickly palmed another set of throwing needles, again tipped with lethal poison, and took aim for the three of them. Even if two were still _Kage Bunshin _he'd be able to get them all and take out the boy once and for all. He reared back his hand.

"_Kikaichuu no Jutsu_!"

The Hunter-nin's head snapped up just in time to see a literal wall of black insects bearing down on him. He gave a scream, hurling his needles with reckless abandon, but they couldn't hurt the swarm. It didn't help much as he was quickly overwhelmed, his chakra sucked clean out of his body by the destruction insects.

Shino dropped down into the clearing, pausing only to tear the needles out of his jacket where they'd hit him, passing clear through the bugs to his physical body. He could feel they were tipped with poison, but his destruction insects would be quick to neutralize it, he hoped.

Bugs began streaming from under his jacket, swarming out of his sleeves and from his high neckline and writhing about, itching for a fight. He didn't disappoint. Nor did the Hunter-nin nearest him, who came charging at him, swinging his chain-flail end over end. Shino dodged aside, hurling himself back into the brush, but the Hunter was right behind him. He hurled his weapon directly at Shino, and the chain wrapped itself around his arms, preventing him from moving. The Hunter-nin grinned behind his mask, but like before, his grin of triumph became a gasp of shock as Shino's body fell away, revealing another trick.

"_Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu_," remarked Shino casually from behind him. The Hunter, enraged, turned to see his quarry standing less than a yard away from him, and brought up his weapon to bare again. But, unfortunately, he'd neglected to get a proper look at it. If he had, he would've noticed all of the insects from Shino's _Bunshin _had fallen onto it, crawling up along the length of the chain. He only noticed when they were already halfway up his arms, and by then, it was far too late.

Shino watched him dispassionately from behind his sunglasses as he dropped down to his knee, panting softly for breath, his expression unreadable as the hunter's mask.

--

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--

Kurenai was boxed in, cut off by one retreat by a tree against her back and two opponents in front of her. But she was completely calm and collected.

"_Mizu no Muchi_," intoned the first of the two ninjas, stretching out his bare hand towards the ground. A small puddle of water was found there, condensation from the mist. It was all he needed. The water leapt up and slid easily into his hand, and remained there in a physical form as a long whip composed of water.

The second one, the only female Hunter-nin in the squad, formed a quick series of hand-seals before her. "_Magen, Narakumi no Jutsu_," she cried, her voice a shriek that grated on the ears.

Both attacks came at her simultaneously, and Kurenai was forced to roll backwards to avoid the water-whip, springing into a backflip to land on the tree branches above. About this time, the female Hunter's genjutsu hit her, and she staggered, her gaze vacant, under it's spell. By now, the female surmised, she'd be bombarded by horrific images and sounds and wouldn't know up from down. She would be helpless within the power of the demonic illusion.

"Now!" she cried out to her comrade.

The whip lashed out again, intend to wrap around Kurenai's midsection and restrain her, leaving her helpless to the two hunter-nin...

... but it slid right through her as she vanished, insubstantial as smoke.

"Amateurs," remarked Kurenai, from her real position, a few tree branches up. Both Hunter-nin spotted her at the same time, but before either could react she formed a quick series of hand-seals and performed her own technique.

"_Jubaku Satsu_."

The tree they stood on was then no longer still, but active, and tree branches wrapped around the two Hunter-nins arms and legs, pinning them down, despite their valiant struggles. In moments they were completely trapped, and Kurenai dropped down lightly between them on the tree branch.

Neither of them -actually- were caught up in gigantic, mobile tree branches, of course. It was all in their heads. Genjutsu was like that. But she was a real master of it, not a half-trained amateur. She'd seen right through her tricks, and turned them back on them.

With a quick, decisive movement, she grabbed up two kunai and stabbed them both, ending their miserable careers as Hunter-nin.

--

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--

**Author's Notes:**

Any and all Jutsu are italicized, and can be found on Leafninja if you're not familiar with them, as I'm not providing translations. Japanese names kept intact doubly to A, make them easier to find on Leafninja, and B, sound thirty percent cooler.


	5. Clash in the Dark, part II

The next Hunter-nin found himself squaring off against the white-eyed girl, and he growled darkly behind his mask, which barely fit his enormous head. Everything about him was enormous, his body was built like a mountain, and he towered over Hinata the way the Hokage monument towered over Konoha.

"You are not the only ones who've mastered making clones," he stated in no uncertain terms. Crossing his hands into a familiar seal, he made his move. "_Bunshin no Jutsu_." Instantly, Hinata was surrounded by six new attackers, each taking up attack stances and ready to pummel her.

"_Byakugan_," she intoned, activating her bloodline limit and allowing her vision to encompass all of her attackers. Five she could see right through... literally. Not even water clones, these were the regular type. All flash and no substance. But the sixth... behind her and to her right. That one she could see a chakra circulatory system. That was her real foe. So she raised up her hand and readied herself in a classic Gentle Fist stance, open palm upraised. She did not yet turn to face him, content to let him think she was off-guard and unprepared until he moved in closer.

Each replication grabbed up half a dozen kunai and hurled in rapid succession, in effect bombarding her all at once from different angles with countless small objects. An ordinary shinobi would've been sliced to pieces by such an attack, even though at least half of the shuriken weren't real.

But she was no ordinary shinobi. She was the Heiress of the Hyuuga, and she was ready for them.

"_Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou,_" she intoned, and her body sprang into motion. Arms swung up and outwards in complicated arcs, as chakra poured from her palms in tight beams of light. Each time a kunai came too close to her, her chakra slapped it away with enough force to break the kunai, sometimes slicing it clean in half. Shards of metal fell around Hinata, and she remained completely untouched.

To describe the Hunter's reaction as shocked was an understatement. Clearly he'd never heard about the Hyuuga's before.

Hinata allowed herself a small smirk, pleased with such a reaction, but that fatal moment where her attention was diverted, one of the kunai slipped past her defense and imbedded itself in the back of her leg, just below her knee. By sheer luck, the Hunter-nin had tossed this kunai at her blind spot, and unable to see it, she hadn't been able to counter it.

Hinata stumbled, her technique dispelled, and the replications sprang forward seemingly at once, but she quickly saw a pattern developed, and twisted her body, lashing out with her empty palms. It was awkward, moving about on only one good leg and on her knee, but she had always been very flexible, and adapted quickly. Her attack struck the real Hunter-nin full in the chest, and shot a blast of chakra into his system, overloading it. He fell into shock instantly and collapsed forward as she nimbly hopped out of the way before he crushed her.

The remaining replications vanished, and she collapsed.

--

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--

Aoimaru watched all of this unfold, hidden partly behind a nearby tree branch, his green eyes wide with awe as he saw the battle unfold. Naruto, Hinata, Shino... they were all barely two or three years older than he was, and they were all so strong. Impossibly strong. He managed a smile as he watched shy Hinata finish off her foe, knocking them aside, and felt a smile. He knew he'd made the right decision to come with him. They were strong, yes, but so were their foes... and it didn't matter to them. They were fighting to keep him safe at risk to their own lives.

"Hey brat!"

Aoimaru swung around as one of the Hunter-nins made his way towards him, brandishing the pair of wicked axes seen earlier. "You might've gotten some good help but we'll finish this mission yet!" he roared, charging. "DIE!"

Aoimaru screamed, grasping his head as he ducked, the axe whistling over his dark blue locks, missing his head to slam into the tree-trunk and became wedged there. He broke into a sprint, running awkwardly, the Hunter-nin fast in pursuit.

"You little monster!" His axe swung up high, and Aoimaru threw himself down and curled up into a ball, screaming for someone to save him.

His prayers were answered.

Naruto slid down onto the ground and pushed himself up right in front of Aoimaru, launching a kick that caught the Hunter full in the face. Three more _Kage Bunshin_ slid down along the Hunter's sides and continued to knock him skyward with well-placed kicks.

"_U-zu-ma-ki_...!"

A final Naruto, the original, leapt up on the back of one of his duplicates and came slamming down with the force of a boulder, his kick knocking the Hunter-nin down onto the ground with enough force that he nearly buried his head up to his neck in the earth.

"_Naruto Rendan_!"

Aoimaru watched in awe as Naruto landed gracefully, and his clones popped out of existence. He flashed a thumbs up, teeth shining, and all Aoimaru could think was 'wow.'

"That was amazing!" he said, scrambling to his feet. Then, remembering his own actions, he stopped midway to Naruto. The others gathered around quickly as Aoimaru's head dropped down in shame. "I'm... I'm sorry," he said. "I got scared... I couldn't help."

Naruto's hand lightly landed on his shoulder in a friendly pat. "It's okay," he said, still smiling. "Lots of people freeze up during their first real fight. I know I did," he added, rubbing the back of his head as recalled the events with the Demon Brothers. "It's alright to feel afraid."

They ran quickly to join the others. Shino was busy prying the last of the needles out of his coat. Thankfully, only a few had penetrated, but it had been rough to catch them all. The poison numbed the skin on impact, so he had to double-check and make sure he'd pulled them all out. He waved off Naruto's help, his bugs would handle the poison and he'd recover in little time. Kurenai was already seeing to Hinata, tearing off one of the sleeves of her robes to form a rough bandages for her bleeding leg. Thankfully, the kunai had missed the bone or any major arteries, and it would be healed with little problem once they got back to Konoha.

"Alright, the plan worked," said Naruto, satisfied everyone was alive and relatively unharmed.

Kurenai allowed herself a smile as she finished tying Hinata's bandage... tight enough to prevent more bleeding but not so much that it cut off circulation. "Well done, Naruto." She did not need to add she was proud of her team, they knew how she felt. But Naruto had been an unknown factor before this mission, and she was pleased by his performance.

Celebrations, however, had to be put off, as Aoimaru swayed on his feet and then pitched forward, collapsing on the ground unconscious.

--

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--

Sensation returned perhaps half an hour later, when Aoimaru awoke to find himself being spoon-fed a rather disgustingly vile broth. He sat up, choking and coughing as the meal went down the wrong tube, and felt a hand gently pat his back to clear his airways.

"Sorry, we weren't able to wake you," said Hinata softly, placing the bowl and spoon aside. "And you weren't doing so well, we think you collapsed of exhaustion and starvation."

"Idiot," muttered Naruto, though it was in a half-friendly way, as he chomped down on some of his own rations.

The team had taken up shelter in one of the caves dotting the region, and looked ready to settle in for the day. With only a single entrance in or out, they could see trouble coming a mile away. Kurenai had even allowed for them to build a fire, for which Naruto was supremely grateful. Ramen wasn't nearly so good to eat cold.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Shino quietly, resting against the side of the cavern wall. He still hadn't fully recovered from the poison, and it left him weaker than usual. His breathing was slightly more labored than usual but at least he was in no danger of dying.

Aoimaru hung his head shamefully again. "Back home, if someone said they were hungry... they... they got taken advantage of. Beaten. Same if you were tired. Or showed any sign of weakness..." his voice trailed off.

Naruto frowned darkly at that as he swallowed a mouthful of noodles. He'd heard of how cruel the Mist ninjas could be but to be this bad to a kid? No wonder all the Mist Ninja he'd run into had turned out as messed up as they had.

"That's not how we work in Konoha," he said firmly, setting his meal. "If you're not strong enough on your own, that's what your team is there for. They help you, and you help them. That's what Kakashi-sensei always taught us."

The members of Team Eight respectfully decided not to point out the numerous times Naruto had acted on his own on numerous occasions.

"But I can't -do- anything here on land," remarked Aoimaru glumly. "I'm useless."

"When the time comes... you'll prove yourself wrong, Aoimaru. Believe it," he said.

This was the real hidden talent of Naruto, Kurenai mused. It wasn't just that he was strong, or determined, or even surprisingly inventive in the thick of combat. He had an ability to inspire people to do great things with his words and actions. He'd inspired Hinata, he'd inspired Konohomaru, now he inspired Aoimaru the same way. She could see it, the little dark-haired boy was staring up at Naruto in blatant hero-worship, hanging on every word.

It was no surprise. After a lifetime of being feared, he was clinging to the first group of people who hadn't hated him.

It was good for their mission, but Kurenai was still worried.

Hunter-nin. That meant Mist had sent them after the boy. Meaning either he had a bloodline limit and they wanted him exterminated, or else they'd confused his real nature with a bloodline limit. But she wasn't so sure anymore the boy -was- Sanbi. For one thing, the Three-Tails would've reacted to protect him if he'd been in serious danger, and so far nothing strange had happened. Not a proper test, since the last time he was attacked Naruto had rescued him, but still, she was starting to grow skeptical.

"Kurenai-sama?" came a soft voice, interrupting her thoughts. Kurenai shook her head to clear them, then turned back to the little boy.

"Mmm?"

"Did you really mean what you said back there...? That if worse came to worse you'd hand me over to the bad ninjas to save your team?" he asked quietly, glancing between Hinata, Shino, and Naruto before turning back to Kurenai.

She shook her head. "It was a bluff," she replied. "Necessary so they wouldn't notice Naruto's trick."

"But if there was no other choice... I mean..."

"I'm in a difficult position no matter how one looks at it," remarked Kurenai quietly. "On one hand, failing a mission is not highly thought well in Konoha just like any Hidden Village. And in this case, failing that mission means you've been killed or captured... which is tantamount to the same thing."

Aoimaru nodded.

"And on the other hand, we in Konoha don't abandon our comrades lightly either. None of us do."

"So what would you choose?" asked Aoimaru. He really didn't want to press her, but he had to know where he stood.

"That's a question on one of our Academy Tests," she replied. At this, her frown vanished, replaced by a playful smile. "Choice C," she remarked, indicating her own answer. The Academy Tests were tricky like that sometimes. Either A or B would suffice, but it was those who answered choice C who got it correct. More often than not, these were the ones who made it to Genin. Even if they'd penciled in C by mistake, thinking it was the previous question (as a certain blonde idiot had done). "I would put my effort into finding a way that I can bring you all back -and- complete the mission safely."

That was all that needed to be said, and with that, the team finished up their meal, set watches (Naruto first, Kurenai, and then Hinata until night fell) and turned in to sleep.

They still had a long way to go.

And they weren't out of the woods quite yet.

--

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--

There was one more Hunter-nin after them. Kurenai was glad it wasn't Akatsuki, but she was positive there was at least one more. Hunter-nin always moved in two-squads, the three-man teams and their commanders. They'd taken down seven... there should have been eight. So one of them had lagged behind or, more chilling thought, used their first skirmish to gauge the power of the Konoha team. If so, they had a fairly good idea of it now. Naruto's trick wouldn't fool them a second time.

And then there were their injuries to worry about. Kurenai had been forced to carry Hinata, unable to run on an injured leg. Shino was, while largely recovered, still weakened from the poison he'd taken the other day. And Aoimaru still wasn't as fast as any of them were. They were moving too slowly.

Still, some luck and a lot of running and they'd be back in Konoha. Medic-nins could take Hinata and Shino and they'd have the backing of some of the finest shinobi warriors this side of the world. Asuma and Kakashi could tear down any Hunter-nin who dared tried to pursue them that far, even if they did. And they wouldn't. It went against Hidden Village treaties. To break it would be to invite war, and no village wanted that, not now.

Still, right now, they were vulnerable, and she pushed her team as hard as she dared push them to get them back to Konoha safely.

--

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**Author's Notes:**

The test in question is made-up but sounds like something you could find in a Naruto-verse Academy test.


	6. Big Game Hunter

It was just about midnight when the mists began to build up again. Instantly, Kurenai signaled for a stop and dropped down into the clearing with the others, back-to-back, tense. She glanced over her shoulder at Hinata, who was instantly alert, Byakugan blazing through the darkness and the mist to find their enemy.

"Hinata?"

"Just gimme a minute," she replied insistently, scanning the treeline.

Kurenai took stock of the terrain. They'd made it just inside of the Fire Country, near a small river that streamed down into the Tea Country. Water could be a problem if it was a Mist-nin. A lot of their strength was drawn from natural resources like that.

On the other hand, Sanbi might be able to tap that sort of power as well. Kurenai glanced over at Aoimaru, who stood near Naruto and Shino, both Genin acting as a guard for him. Naruto had palmed a kunai and was holding it at the ready. Shino was outwardly relaxed, but she could see bugs streaming out from underneath his coat, awaiting his orders. Aoimaru didn't look too badly frightened, but she suspected most of that was an act. He was shaking from head to toe.

No attack came, and Hinata could find nothing with her _Byakugan_. Whoever was creating the mist, they were keeping out of range of her sight. Admittedly, her range wasn't as long as her cousin Neji's. She could see 360 degrees in all directions, as well as spot tiny things he might miss, but her maximum range was only fifty meters. "We need to keep moving," stated Kurenai. "Move slowly, stay together." They nodded, and the team slowly walked, tense, towards the river. They'd have to cross it slowly, but thankfully it was seeded with a number of boulders, even a non-shinobi would've been able to hop-skip their way across with little trouble.

The mist grew thicker, and Kurenai hesitated, but only for a moment. They'd be safer if they kept moving.

"We'll go first," she said, indicating herself and Hinata, still clinging to her back. "Naruto, be right behind us, and catch Hinata if anything goes wrong. She's in your care."

"Understood," Naruto said.

Hinata was glad the mist made her blush hard to see.

Cautiously, Kurenai made her way across the rocks, leaping lightly from one to another as she made her way across the river. She was halfway there when...

"Kurenai-sensei! That r-!"

Kurenai's sandaled foot slammed down an instant too late, the warning delivered seconds too late. Hinata's gaze had been focused on the treetops and the water, searching for enemies, and she'd missed the hidden exploding tag set to the bottom of the stone, the stone deliberately planted there by the squad commander. Kurenai and Hinata were flung backwards by the explosion and sent hurtling into the water, where they landed with an undignified splash.

Hinata gasped. "Oh god!"

Kurenai's head snapped up, her own keen senses detecting danger too late.

The squad leader was -right- behind them!

"_Suirou no Jutsu_," intoned a harsh, deep voice behind them.

Before Kurenai or Hinata could act, the water of the river sprang up and encased them both in a pulsating blue dome of chakra-charged water. Instantly, Kurenai froze, and in no uncertain terms told Hinata to do the same. If they tried to disrupt the sphere the Hunter-nin would just drown them.

Shino, Aoimaru, and Naruto stood on the rocks, weapons and fists raised, regarding their new foe.

He was dressed and equipped much like his subordinates had been, in dark greys and blacks, armed with typical shinobi equipment. His white mask bore the four squiggly lines of Hidden Mist, and behind it his eyes peered out, yellow and tinged with malice. He was a muscular individual, covered in scars where ever flesh could be seen, and his every motion bespoke of experience and skill.

He wouldn't go down easily.

Naruto smirked. -He- wouldn't go down at all.

--

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--

The Hunter smirked behind his mask, glancing over his shoulder casually at Kurenai and Hinata, imprisoned in his water sphere. "I'll deal with you two later... after I finish off the brats and the monster," he intoned, holding up his hand and forming a seal.

"_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_."

With a muffled poof, more like a splash, another Hunter stood before them, this one free of having to maintain the water prison. Instantly, Naruto recognized his plan. Zabuza had pulled the exact same trick on them during his first mission. Maintain the water sphere with the original while the clone does all the fighting. Crude, but effective. But there was a gap in his plan, and Naruto knew it from experience.

"Shino!" he called out. "All we have to do is take down the original... if we can shake him up, he'll drop the prison, and we get the girls back."

"No!"

All eyes turned to Kurenai.

"Naruto, you have a mission to finish up! Take Aoimaru and run! He won't be able to keep up with just the two of you. Water clones only have a limited range, they can't get too far from the original!"

Behind his mask, the Hunter's eyes narrowed.

"I know that!" shouted back Naruto angrily. "We're not running!"

"That's an order!" she shouted, on the verge of screaming. "Shino, take Aoimaru and run now!"

To her shock, Shino simply shook his head. "No."

"What?"

"There is no way we can outrun our enemy, Kurenai-sensei," he stated respectfully. "Even if we did manage to elude the Water Clone until it dispersed, you and Hinata-san would be helpless. It would be short work for the Hunter-nin to kill you both, and then overtake us. We only have one suitable option."

"Knock his lights out!" roared Naruto, throwing a punch into the air. "Believe it!"

"Exactly," replied Shino, rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses. Not quite how he'd phrase it, but it did cut to the heart of things quickly enough.

Evil laughter interrupted their heroics and posturing, and the Hunter took a menacing step towards them, grabbing a pair of kunai from the holster at his waist. "Please. Two of you? You're not even real ninjas, you're just stupid little brats who got in over their heads..." Without warning, both kunai went flying towards Naruto. He dodged the first, the second whizzing clear over his head. But the distraction had been good enough to allow the Hunter a chance to charge forward (how fast!) and slam his fist into Naruto's gut, sending him hurtling through the air to crash down on the ground.

"Naruto-kun!" cried Hinata.

The Hunter whirled onto Shino, who stood in a defensive stance, arms outspread, protecting Aoimaru who cowered behind him. "Your turn!"

Shino's bugs streamed out of his coat en mass and whirled up in front of him as a barrier around himself and Aoimaru, protecting them in a small shield of swarming black insects. "You think that'll stop me?" scoffed the Hunter, reaching behind his back and grabbing something from his pack. In a moment, he let fly a series of shuriken and kunai with both arms. Most smashed ineffectually against the barrier, the insects were too thick, and there were too many of them.

"Alright fine kid, gloves are off..." said the Hunter, his voice a low growl. His hands slipped together, forming a long, complicated series of hand-seals that Shino didn't recognize. But anything that complex couldn't be good, and he braced himself.

Naruto, largely unhurt (just terribly bruised) from his impromptu flight, had managed to push himself back up to his knees just in time to see the Hunter's seals and recognize the technique he was about to unleash. "Shino! Look out!"

"_Suiryuudan no Jutsu_!"

Behind the Hunter, the water of the river reared up, defying gravity and forming into a long funnel, the end of which split into the mawed fangs of a fearsome dragon. Without warning it sped towards Shino's barrier, and even he had no illusions that it could hold. Quick as he could, he grabbed Aoimaru by the scruff of his collar and none-too-gently threw him out of harm's way the instant the dragon's head smashed through the barrier and full into Shino, sending the bug-user crashing into a nearby tree with a little less force than a tidal wave.

"Shino!" cried out Naruto. Then, angrily, he whirled on the Hunter. "You lousy bastard!" Hands quickly formed a familiar seal.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Six Naruto's appeared in a puff of smoke, and the first four charged forward at the Hunter. Two were swept aside by an expert swing of his arm, bursting back into smoke, but the other two grabbed a hold of his legs and held him down. The Hunter's eyes snapped open as the remaining two Naruto's came charging at him, the first with his palm out, the second running behind him, filling it with chakra.

"Eat this! _Rasengan_!"

Pure chakra smashed into the water clone, reducing it to it's base element and splashing the substance all over the area. Naruto wasn't quite done, however, as he brought up his free hand and hurled three kunai at the real Hunter. He barely batted an eye behind his facial mask, simply lifted up his other hand and caught the kunai by their hilts with a single hand. Flawlessly.

Naruto silently cursed, his ploy having been thwarted. But he wasn't out of tricks yet. And the sooner he got Kurenai and Hinata free the sooner they'd tear the Hunter to pieces. His hands formed a seal. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

But so did the Hunter. "_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_."

Shadow and Water clones filled the clearing and charged towards one another. The water clones had the advantage of sheer size and brute strength, to say nothing of technique, but Naruto's had numbers on his, and the air was alive with the splash of water and the puff of smoke as the two clone groups duked it out. This served an excellent purpose, however, apart from wasting chakra. It allowed Shino's motions to go unnoticed.

The attack -had- hurt, of course, but he'd over-reacted to the pain and allowed himself to fall flat onto the ground, appearing unconscious. He was, in truth, anything but. He couldn't move just yet, he was in pain all over, and fairly positive at least two of his ribs were broken. To fight headfirst would've been foolish, but Shino didn't care for frontal assaults anyway. So, he silently sent orders to his destruction bugs, which streamed out from his body in very thin lines, unnoticed by the distracted combatants. Then, they congregated behind the Hunter.

"Time to end this, brat," hissed the Hunter through one of his water clones, unaware of his imposing doom. From his back, he drew a wicked sharp katana blade, holding it up before him. "And after you, I'll kill that little monster first... and then all of your friends."

Naruto growled. A low, feral sound. "You're the only monster around here."

The Hunter raised up his katana, intended to attack, but suddenly froze in mid-swing, giving a strangled gasp of shock. As Naruto watched in equal shock, the destruction bugs began swarming up around the original Hunter, overwhelming him.

"Ackt!"

"Naruto... now..." Shino weakly spat out.

"Hear you loud and clear!" shouted Naruto, grinning with joy now. Without hesitation he charged forward, ducking under the swing of a startled water clone, and with his left hand, began to fill his right with whirling chakra. Not a proper _rasengan_, it would serve it's purpose well enough. He reared back his hand, and the Hunter raised an arm to block, but his attack wasn't aimed at him. He thrust out his hand and let loose his attack on the water sphere itself.

And, as he'd guessed (and even hoped a little) the de-powered _rasengan_ hit the water and immediately it swirled and twirled like a miniature maelstrom, just like back when he'd first learned the technique. He thrust his fist in deeper, powering up more chakra, and the water split and parted and splashed every which way, soaking him instantly but, more importantly...

... shattering the water prison.

"WHAT!"

As water splashed everywhere and the barrier dissolved, Hinata and Kurenai hurled themselves forward. Kurenai ducked low and Hinata reared back her free hand, hanging on to Kurenai's shoulders with the other. He open palm slammed into the Hunter's chest as they passed, giving him a full dose of violent chakra. Between that and the weakening from the bugs, he went flying backwards into the river, vanishing from sight under the cascading depths.

"Alright! Nice shot, Hinata!"

"T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled broadly, and Hinata blushed brightly. Kurenai almost laughed aloud, she was so very relieved their troubles were...

... over?

A katana whizzed over her head, and she was forced to drop Hinata and roll away out of the next attack as the water clone suddenly divided between her and Naruto. Naruto's clones were quick to protect the original, but their moment of panic was enough of a distraction. They'd assumed the clones would have dispersed with the Hunter defeated.

But he hadn't been.

Soaked and irritated, he clawed his way at the rocky bank of the river to crawl out, coughing up water but thankfully alive. All of Shino's bugs had been washed off of his body when he'd been hurled into the river, so Hinata's attack had been a cloud with a silver lining, so to speak.

"I'm not beat yet," grumbled the Hinter, lifting up his mask just enough to expose his mouth and tossing the object in... a tiny little black pill. A soldier pill. Instantly, the damage from Hinata's attack to his chakra circulatory system was healed, and his power redoubled. With a speed bordering on blurring, his hands formed seals.

"_Suiryuudan no Jutsu_!"

Behind the Hunter, the water of the river reared up once more, forming into a long snake-like dragon. Without warning it sped towards Naruto, slamming full force into the blonde ninja with enough force to break every bone in his body, sending him flying off into the distance to smash into a tree, hard enough to leave a dent with his body and hang their suspended.

"Naruto-kun!" screamed Hinata.

Kurenai took quick stock of the situation. Naruto was badly hurt. Shino was down and unable to move, exhausted, and low on chakra from his earlier efforts. Hinata was unable to stand properly. She herself was low on ideas, most of her tricks wouldn't work against a capable strategist like this Hunter, her genjutsu would be shrugged off with ease. At least his water clones had all been defeated, however. And after an attack like that, even he had to be running low on chakra.

She grabbed up a pair of shuriken and prepared to fight.

"Stop!"

To Kurenai's shock, the one who'd just spoken was Aoimaru, who stood on the edge of the river, standing atop of the flowing water as if it was solid ground. His eyes were alight with an inner green fire, and his dark blue hair stood on end as he clenched his tiny hands into fists.

"Leave... them... alone."

--

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**Author's Notes:**

For the record, I'm not positive if Naruto's rasengan could break down a water barrier like that, but it seems likely, since he'd created a whirlpool using rasengan before. Also, I did my research, Neji once made his Byakugan range over 800 meters, but Hinata's only shown the standard Hyuuga 50 so far.


	7. Real Monster

Under normal circumstances, seeing a scrawny, half-starved orphan boy only ten years old standing up to a powerfully built, strong Hunter-nin would've been laughable. But there was no laughing. The entire air seemed alive with tension, and the water stirred around beneath Aoimaru as his chakra trembled with rage.

The Hunter had hurt Naruto, who was the only person who'd ever believed in him. He'd hurt Shino and Hinata, who were like his big brother and sister. He'd hurt Kurenai, who was the closest thing he'd ever had to a real mother. He'd hurt his family.

And now he was going to pay.

Aoimaru reached deep down inside of himself and found that hidden power that had been sleeping up until now. The power that had made others label him a freak and a monster. The power that had brought the Hunter-nins after him.

Without fully realizing what he was doing, he reached out with his hand...

... and water from the river flowed upwards and into it, coalescing into a sphere of water in his palm. He took a deep breath, and then thrust out his hand, and the water shot from his palm in the form of a tentacle, the edge razor-tipped. The Hunter sprang aside as water that was tough as iron sliced through the ground right where he'd been standing.

"Don't you hurt them!" shouted Aoimaru, and allowed himself to continue the attack, grabbing up the water with his hidden powers and letting watery tentacles shoot from it to slice through the air at the Hunter, who ducked and dodged aside. One lucky blow caught his shoulder, however, knocking him back and tearing through his shoulder-guard. Blood dripped down onto the ground as Aoimaru watched from the river.

Kurenai watched in awe as well. With virtually no training and no seals Aoimaru was performing _Suigadan_, the same technique she'd seen Itachi use. To have such power, even if it was raw and unformed, as a member of Akatsuki.

She was very glad Aoimaru was on their side.

The blue-haired boy was still attacking the Hunter-nin with everything he had, but even Kurenai could see his attacks were draining him. His breathing was becoming more labored. Before long the Hunter-nin would rally his chakra and break through Aoimaru's attacks and strike him down. She needed to move before then.

Kurenai sprang forward just as the Hunter dodged a pair of water blasts, twisting his body expertly to avoid them. His motions, however, left him momentarily off-guard, and Kurenai launched a kick-kick-punch combo. Both kicks were blocked but her punch knocked him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Even though she was a genjutsu specialist, no Jounin in Hidden Leaf was completely untrained in taijutsu. She could hold her own.

"AAaauuughhh!" shouted Aoimaru, his own anger blinding him, and he lashed out, sending small waves of the tentacles streaming towards the Hunter, but also towards...

"Kurenai-sensei!" shouted Shino.

The Hunter smirked behind his mask, twisting, dodging and catching Kurenai's next attack and using her own momentum to hurl her into the path of the attack, as a sharp tentacle of water lashed out and streaked forward, slicing into her side. She gasped, spitting up blood as the attack tore through her robes and through the delicate skin underneath, drawing blood.

"Kurenai! Nooo!" Aoimaru's hands went up in shock, and the water instantly splashed down, harmless and effected only by current and gravity once more as his anger dissipated. He could no longer control the power within. As his anger fully vanished, he also realized he felt sick to his stomach. Something had gone wrong. He clutched at his chest, his heart was beating painfully fast. His blood felt like it was on fire.

"You little brat...!" Aoimaru gasped, looking up just in time to see a fist flying towards his face, and he went flying as the Hunter's attack connected, sprawling helplessly on the ground. He grimly tried to push himself up as the Hunter's katana whistled through the air. He wasn't fast enough. He wasn't strong enough. The arc struck him in the back, slicing from shoulder down to his hip in an arc diagonally across his back, and he gave a scream of pain, then collapsed, bleeding through the rip in his shirt.

"I have lost enough men because of you, you insufferable little monster," growled the Hunter, raising up his katana again. "This is your fate, so lie back and accept it... and... just... DIE!"

The sword arced upwards...

... and was knocked clean out of the Hunter's hand.

"Ackt!" the Hunter growled, cursing up a storm as he clutched at his hand. A rock had whizzed seemingly out of nowhere to strike the back of his palm, and he'd been forced to drop his sword. His head snapped up, however, as he heard an ominous sound.

A low, sinister growl that seemed to echo throughout the forest and the mist. A feral sound that send shivers down the Hunter's spine. It seemed to come from every direction.

"**You want a monster?**" the voice growled, coming from the direction the rock had been hurled. "**I'll show you a monster**."

The mists parted as chakra exploded, a brilliant flash of crimson. Visible chakra coalesced around the figure of a boy walking towards the Hunter. The blonde ninja, the one called Uzumaki Naruto. His expression had changed, however, and to describe it as pissed off would be a dreadful understatement. He looked ready to tear the Hunter to pieces with his bare hands. And his appearance had altered too. Grown more wild, more feral. Claws and fangs had slid into place and his hair grown bushy and wild, waving in an unseen breeze. His blue eyes were now crimson and burned like fire.

The Hunter, though shaken, had seen worse in his career, and slipped a hand behind his back to grab a pair of kunai. "Don't any of you ever stay dead!" he shouted with false bravado, and hurled the kunai.

Naruto didn't so much as dodge the kunai so much as -vanish-. One moment he was standing there, the next he wasn't, and the kunai hurled through empty space. When he re-appeared, it was at the base of the Hunter, and he hurled a kick upwards with such force he would've done a weightless Rock Lee proud, slamming the Hunter full in the jaw and rocketing him skywards. Naruto instantly dropped into a crouch and pushes himself upwards with all four limbs like the beast he now was, and shot past the Hunter. In mid-air, he twirled his body up and over and came down with the force of a cannonball, slamming blow after bone-crushing blow into the Hunter's midsection, knocking him earthward. He slammed into the ground with such force that the earth shook... Kurenai could feel it as she watched in abject awe. She'd seen Naruto fight before, of course, they all had. But such ferocity always left them breathless. And even a little terrified.

Fortunately, Kyuubi's power did not overwhelm Naruto's sense of friend and foe. He knew who not to attack.

Naruto re-appeared in a crouch and lashed out, grabbing the Hunter's ankle and yanking him upwards, twirling in a circle to build up speed and letting the Hunter go, sending him crashing down into the waves atop one of the bigger rocks. The Hunter rolled onto his back, trying to push himself up and continue the battle, reaching for the shorter blade he'd strapped to his leg. But as he watched in abject horror Naruto crouched down and shot skyward, rearing back his hand, his fingers clenching into a tight fist.

He sped down and slammed his fist into the Hunter's face, hard enough to shatter the white mask which covered it and probably the skull beneath as well. Water shot skyward from the impact as the whole boulder sank into the river, spraying it up everywhere, and Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai lost sight of their blonde-haired teammate.

Kurenai remained tense despite the silence to follow, hands on her scrolls. They weren't designed to restrain the Kyuubi but they might calm him down a bit if...

... the mists cleared, and Uzumaki Naruto was the one who walked out of them. The red chakra had vanished, as had any of its lingering effects on his body, and he was himself again. Tired, worn out (his knuckles were bleeding but they'd heal soon) but smiling still.

Behind him, the Hunter was most definitely out of the game. For good.

--

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--

Victory, however, had come at a terrible cost.

Hinata and Shino crouched to either side of the fallen, green-haired boy that was their mission objective. His face was ashen, and they'd dared not roll him onto his back and make him comfortable, the wound across his back prevented that. There was blood everywhere. Hinata and Shino had been working to staunch the flow, working with some bandages and ointments, but none of them present were qualified Medic-nin.

Aoimaru was dying.

"N-naruto...?"

"I'm here," he said, instantly down by Aoimaru's side, holding the little boy's tiny hand in his own. "You did great, Aoimaru... you really did... you stood up to that guy and fought him. You were really brave."

A weak smiled flitted across Aoimaru's ashen features. "I was, wasn't I?"

"Yeah."

The little green-eyed boy's smile stayed plastered to his face as his eyes rolled back and he fell forward weakly. Naruto gently squeezed his hand.

"Aoimaru...? Hey, Aoimaru... come on..."

"We have to get back to Konoha quickly," stated Shino, but even his voice seemed subdued.

"Aoimaru? Hey, come on Aoimaru, you heard Shino... we gotta go... Aoimaru?" said Naruto, shaking the little boy's hand in his own. "Aoimaru?"

Hinata choked back a sob, trying to be brave, and Kurenai just watched with sad, crimson eyes. Shino's expression was, as ever, unreadable.

"Aoimaru?"

--

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**Author's Notes:**

I got nothing.


	8. Coming Home

Konoha had only been two hours away. Quick as they could, they'd raced back to the Hidden Village, Aoimaru carried on Naruto's back (he'd refused to let anyone else carry him), while Shino and Hinata had to be roughly carried by Kurenai, one under each arm. She'd handed them over to the Medic-nin team that greeted them on the way in, Tsunade had been expecting them and keeping watch, and they were quickly found and escorted back to the Konoha hospital while Kurenai made her way to Tsunade to give her report. Then the Fifth would be hurrying to the hospital to oversee the recovery of the team.

Shino and Hinata had been ushered off to different rooms to be examined, but both were quickly discharged to resting areas. The Aburame bug-user was the worst off, but his ribs were quickly bandaged up properly by Sakura. The very last of the poison had already been cleansed from his system and he was pronounced out-of-danger, and would be released the next morning. He'd be off missions for a while but he hadn't suffered any lasting damage.

Hinata's leg was properly seen to by another medic-nin, and she was walking with the aid of a crutch in no time. She wouldn't have any sorts of trouble, the wound would heal properly in little to no time. Naruto, of course, was completely injury-free, thanks to the other resident of his body.

Then they'd turned their attention to Aoimaru.

At first, Naruto wouldn't even let go of Aoimaru for Tsunade to examine, stating he was just sleeping, and tried to prove it by roughly shaking his shoulder to try and wake him. The Fifth Hokage had regretted her action, lightly slamming her open palm into the back of Naruto's neck, but it had been the only choice. They needed a proper look at the body. Naruto was resting in one of the waiting hallways now. Hinata was with him, and Tsunade had dismissed most of her medical staff, including Sakura. She needed a look at the body alone.

Gentle chakra probing had revealed all she'd needed to know.

Aoimaru was not a demon-vessel. Never had been. His chakra was completely normal. His bloodline was unusual but not unheard of, particularly to a well-traveled woman like the Legendary Sucker. It matched descriptions of the boy-ninja who'd been in Zabuza's employ, the one Naruto had mentioned fighting so very long ago. It took her a moment to recall the name... Haku. Yes, that was it. But whereas Haku had been a genius, Aoimaru was not as talented with his bloodline, thus water had been all he could manipulate, and then only under stress. To compare them would be to compare Itachi and Obito's skill with the _Sharingan_.

So the mission had ultimately been a waste and a failure.

Tsunade gave a deep sigh, resting her hands on the edge of the table where Aoimaru lay, the smile still etched on his face, even in death. He'd been happy at the end, she realized (working in what she saw with Kurenai's report). He'd finally found some people who didn't hate him. A family. And they'd been with him at the end.

Tsunade allowed herself a small smile, thinking back.

There were worse ways to leave this world.

She drew up a black cloth to cover the body from view respectfully. Normal shinobi protocol for obtaining another village's bloodline was dissection... but she really couldn't bring herself to do that. Not to this poor kid, who'd been through so much already. Or Kurenai's team, who'd formed a bond with him. Besides, she thought with a smirk, she knew any hint of that would arouse the awful wrath of Naruto and, through him, the Kyuubi. Hidden Leaf would be trampled to the ground. And besides, she really didn't feel like it right now. What she needed was a good, stiff drink.

--

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--

The next day, Naruto couldn't be found anywhere in Konoha's hospital. Beyond that, he couldn't be found anywhere at his apartment. Shizune had been downright chilled when she hadn't found him at Ichiraku or his usual training spots either, and began to frantically search through Konoha to try and find the blonde-haired fool. No telling where he was.

It was raining in Konoha that day, a light drizzle that peppered the streets. Shinobi trained indoors and traveled with ponchos to keep their equipment dry, and the ordinary citizens drew closed their shutters and waited for the storm to pass. Visibility was limited.

As it turned out, the one who found him was Iruka, his old Academy teacher. Naruto Uzumaki was settled down comfortably atop of the Hokage Monument, astride the head of the Fourth Hokage. He'd stayed a good distance away to begin with, a little surprised to see his former student out here. He knew Naruto was wont to come here sometimes when he'd been in the Academy, but hadn't seen him here in ages. He'd been busy training, doing missions with Team Seven (or, these days, with just about everyone) or at Ichiraku. He'd been keeping busy, and he'd been happy.

But now...

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto called out respectfully, having sensed him approach. "Hey..."

"Hey yourself," said Iruka, making his way to sit down beside the fellow orphan. "How're you holding up?"

Naruto grimaced at that. He'd been hearing it a lot at the hospital, which is why he'd slipped out the window. It was so annoying to be asked that, he was fine, physically. He probably wouldn't even catch a cold from the storm. He never did get sick, really. But he sensed Iruka wasn't worried about his physical well-being. "I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Sad?"

"... A little," he replied, "Mostly confused."

"How so?" asked his older teacher, shifting to get more comfortable.

"He seemed so happy at the end... but he was dying. We'd lost. I just... I just don't get it Iruka-sensei. Why we he happy?" he asked, his face scrunched up as it often did when he was thinking deep thoughts. Despite constant comments to the contrary, Naruto wasn't an idiot. He was just slow, and not even in the sense that usually meant, as in stupid. He took his time getting to the answers of a question, and as a result he usually reached a startling insight someone quicker, like Sasuke or Neji, might've missed.

Iruka smiled at that. "I think I know why."

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Because he'd gotten the one thing he really wanted out of life."

"Huh?"

"He'd spent his whole life persecuted... hated... shunned. And he'd found someone," and here Iruka playfully ruffled Naruto's wet blonde spikes, "someone who would protect him... someone he could even look up to."

"But I failed to protect him. I'm... I even told him... I told him he shouldn't be scared. He should've run."

"But that's part of it," explained Iruka. "Everyone's always told him to run before. You're the first person who put your faith in him. Enough so he could stand and fight on his own. That's why he was happy, I think. Didn't you feel the same, the first time you stood up to your enemy?"

"... yeah, kinda," replied Naruto after a moment's thought. "I think I understand... but I'm still upset."

"Because you failed the mission?"

"Because I failed Aoimaru."

"I think you, and the others, were the first people who didn't fail Aoimaru," replied Iruka wisely. And with that, he slipped to his feet to depart. It was almost time for classes to resume, after all. But he figured he'd gotten the message through to his favorite former pupil.

--

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--

Iruka had been right, in the end. Naruto took this bad experience and used it to his own betterment. He would learn from his mistakes. And he'd keep fighting for all the other Aoimaru's out there, all the other boys who were oppressed and hated and needed a hero.

Next time he wouldn't fail. If you could believe anything, you could believe that.

The sun broke through the clouds as he reached his decision, the sunlight pouring down over the monument to the greatest of Konoha's heroes, the Hokages. One day, Naruto vowed, a place where his face would be seen too. Lightly he hopped down from the Hokage monument and ran down the side of the cliff, heading towards the training fields.

However, on his way, he happened upon a chance encounter in the streets of Konoha.

Shino and Hinata.

The Aburame was as quiet as ever, simply strolling along at a leisurely pace (perhaps even a smidgen more carefully than normal) but seemed his usual self. And Hinata flushed at the sight of Naruto and nearly ducked behind Shino's taller form to hide herself, but steeled herself a little and gave a welcome wave with her free arm (the other supporting her crutch). He jogged over to meet hem.

"Hinata! Shino! How are you guys!" he called, his depression forgotten at the sight of his friends. If he was grateful about nothing else from the mission, he was glad they were okay.

"F-fine, Naruto-kun," replied Hinata softly. "We... uh... we wanted to come and check up on you."

"Hinata and I have been removed from active duty for the present until we've fully recovered," stated Shino quietly. "So no missions."

"Aww that must be horrible," said Naruto, who could think of few worse punishments for ninja than to be taken off missions. He know he'd go stir crazy within a week.

"W-well K-kurenai-sensei gave us these," said Hinata, holding up some tags of paper. Naruto's blue eyes widened as he recognized them.

"Free Ramen at Ichiraku coupons! Oh wow you guys are so lucky...! Hey you've got three," he realized, counting them out. "Did Kiba come back from his mission too?"

"Uhm... actually..." stuttered Hinata, her face turning crimson as she trailed off.

Fortunately, Shino came to her rescue. "The last one is for you, Naruto."

"Alright!" shouted Naruto, so overjoyed he snatched up the coupon and hugged Hinata (nearly making her faint) and looked on the verge of doing the same to Shino before the bug-user cast him a stern look from behind his sunglasses. Together, the three of them made their way to Ichiraku for the finest ramen this side of the Fire Country.

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**Author's Notes:**

Ultimately, Aoimaru had to die because I wanted closure to his story, unlike Isaribi, whom we don't know the ultimate fate of. I'd like to think it hasn't affected Naruto too deeply. Or rather, that it has but only to make him that much better of a ninja. And since there was no real connection to Sanbi, it does not alter the Naruto continuity. Also if anyone is wondering about Aoimaru's unusual features, I suggest they take another look at some of the freaks Hidden Mist has produced. Or maybe the fact that Sakura has naturally pink hair.


End file.
